


these friends are golden

by ohcinnamon



Series: better off as lovers [1]
Category: Bandom, Set It Off (Band)
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, M/M, and also a lot of fall out boy references, tired boys in a van in 2011
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-25 23:42:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19756147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohcinnamon/pseuds/ohcinnamon
Summary: Maxx tunes back into the music for a second — Homesick at Space Camp is playing, and Patrick Stump sings “tonight, the headphones will deliver you the words that I can’t say,” into his left ear, and he can’t think of any song more fitting.





	these friends are golden

**Author's Note:**

> (title from "homesick at space camp" by fall out boy.)

It’s 1 AM, and Maxx isn’t sleeping.

He’s sleepy, sure, and normally just the motion of the van moving is enough to knock him out, but his brain is too wired for him to even think about falling asleep any time soon. Dan is driving them through the night, or at least until they hit Kentucky. Cody’s the only other person awake, listening to something on his iPod and lost in his thoughts. Maxx is bored out of his mind, but Andrew, Austin, and Zach are asleep around them, and he doesn’t want to wake them up. 

So he just stares out the window, watching the seemingly endless miles of hills roll by. There’s an occasional town, a street light or two that lights up the inside of the van, but otherwise? Nothing but him, his thoughts, and the ambient noise of someone’s soft snoring. 

And then there’s a nudge against his shoulder, nearly making him jump. He turns and Cody’s looking at him with tired eyes, but Maxx can tell he’s in the kind of mindset where he’s unable to sleep, too. He holds out his hand to Maxx, offering him something without a word — one of his earbuds. 

It’s a simple gesture, but it makes Maxx’s heart soften. It’s a small acknowledgement of _‘hey, I see you, let’s share this moment together._ ’ He can feel his chest fill and hold as he takes the earbud and slips it into his left ear, scooting closer to Cody so that they’re not tugging on the wires. Cody looks through his albums, apparently finds what he was looking for, and presses play. 

He hears the familiar croon of “ _I’m good to go, and I’m going nowhere fast,_ ” — Saturday, Fall Out Boy, of _course_ Cody would pick this — and smiles. Some things never change. Maxx can’t really blame him, though. Take This To Your Grave will never get old. 

About 30 seconds into the song, Cody’s hand nudges his own, and then, very gently, his pinky curls around Maxx’s. He looks up, startled, and Cody’s already looking at him, illuminated by the passing lights of the billboards on the side of the highway, his gaze heavy with a mix of ‘ _oh god oh fuck are we really doing this?_ ’ and ‘ _so it turns out you make me feel like my insides are made of jell-o._ ’ He knows, because that’s exactly how he feels, and he’s sure he’s mirroring Cody’s expression perfectly right now. 

He’s also at least 50% sure that if there weren’t four other people around them right now, they might be kissing, which is a whole other elephant in the room that they’re going to have to deal with eventually. It _could_ just be because they’re both unbelievably tired and touch-starved, or it could be the Something Else that Maxx has felt ever since he’d first made Cody laugh. Thinking about that makes Maxx feel kind of like he’s going to pass out, but in a good way. 

Okay, yeah, cool. This is happening. This is happening and he’s really definitely very okay with it happening. 

He closes his eyes and drops his head onto Cody’s shoulder — partly because he’s tired; partly so he doesn’t have to think about the fondness in Cody’s gaze that matches the way his insides feel and the implications that has for both of them. He knows his cheeks are flushed right now, can feel the burning in his face, and is just thankful that it’s too dark for anyone to see him blushing. He takes the initiative, for once, and slips his hand the rest of the way into Cody’s, and he can’t see Cody smiling, but he can feel it. 

Saturday ends. There’s a moment of quiet, where Maxx can feel the weight of everything at once, and then the music starts again — “ _landing on a runway in Chicago, and I’m grounding all my dreams,"_ — and it’s loud and brash and everything old Fall Out Boy was made of. It’s not remotely romantic at all, and yet it’s still perfect. 

Cody rests his head on top of Maxx’s, letting out a content sigh. Their thighs are pressed together now, but despite the sweltering summer heat, Maxx doesn’t mind. Their hands are already getting sweaty and gross, but there’s no way in hell Maxx is letting go. He’s gonna sweat buckets anyway; might as well do it laying against someone who makes his blood feel like it’s on fire. 

Maxx tunes back into the music for a second — Homesick at Space Camp is playing, and Patrick Stump sings “ _tonight, the headphones will deliver you the words that I can’t say,_ ” into his left ear, and he can’t think of any song more fitting. 


End file.
